Dustin Pedroia: ‘There have been some surprises’ when it has come to injured foot

After conducting his daily rehabilitation/workout at Foothills Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center in Gilbert, Ariz., Dustin Pedroia admitted to WEEI.com that “there have been some surprises” in his offseason while coming back from surgery on his left foot.

“I’d say there have been some surprises,” Pedroia said. “I thought when I had surgery on my foot, in three months I would feel 100 percent, and that wasn’t the case. It’s been a lot tougher than I thought it was, and what everyone thought it would be.

“The people that have had this injury, there’s not a lot in baseball, but in other sports Yao Ming and, shoot, he still hasn’t recovered, and Grant Hillhad it and he’s kind of back normal. It’s a weird bone to break without a non-stress fracture. Mine is from impact and you never see those injuries from impact. They say that stress fractures with this injuries is different, where your body is taking over. Mine is from a ball hitting off it, so it’s a little different in terms of the recovery.

“The tough part is finding a way to figure out what the best thing is for me and how I can ready for myself to play every day. I’m two weeks away from spring training and I’m just now kind of getting the program to where I feel good and to where I feel good to where I can play a game.”

Pedroia talked at length about the importance of managing any soreness in regard to his foot, offering the example that he most likely wouldn’t participate in the team’s spring training conditioning tests. He also touched on how his young son, Dylan, offered a much-needed distraction through out an offseason, which included numerous bouts of uncertainty.